Step through gates of Driving Park, and step back through time

by Stan Nowak
This article was first published in the April 9, 2003 edition of the Dundas Star News. Reproduced with permission of the author.

You can't miss them. As you go north on Cross Street, you will see them. They are one of the most recognizable landmarks in Dundas. These are the park gates marking the main entrance to the Dundas Driving Park. These gates were generously donated to the Town by Col. J. J. Grafton in 1911.

As you go through the gates, imagine stepping back to the mid-1860s. There's a harness race in progress on the new dirt oval that roughly outlines the perimeter of the park. This is one of Canada's earliest race courses. Dr. A. H. Walker, along with some friends, purchased this property from his father-in-law, George Rolph, who had owned the property since 1822.

Fast-forwarding through time: in 1886, the Town of Dundas, recognizing the need for a municipal public park, purchased the property for $3,500.00, and on February 7, 1887, By-law No. 388 was established by Town Council setting care and maintenance guidelines for the new park.

The park, however, was neglected for years, until 1905, when a Citizens' Committee was established to oversee the care of the park, and for ten years, they saw some major developments there. Lawn bowling greens were established; a grandstand, bandstand, and a wading pool were installed. In 1909, a log cabin was donated by Col. Grafton to the park for use as a picnic kitchen This cabin had been used by George Rolph, as a Justice of the Peace, to try minor cases (unfortunately, it burned down in 1964). In 1911, the famous park gates were put in place.

By 1915, the park had become "the finest public park of any small town in this fair Domain" thanks to the Committee of "public-spirited citizens" according to W. H. Moss (Dundas Mayor, 1907-08, and Dundas columnist known as the 'Old Boy'). Later that same year, the care of the park came under the provisions of the Public Park Act and a Board of Management had to be appointed by the Town, so thus, the Citizens' Committee was disbanded.

Fast-forwarding to 1949: the Tennis Club clubhouse was built. Later that same year, a spectacular fire, caused by an errant cigarette ash, destroyed the grandstand. With typical Dundas spirit, all scheduled baseball and football games went ahead as planned after a member of the Parks Board gathered some benches to seat the spectators. In 1953, our current bandshell was erected thanks to a generous anonymous donor.

The geography of the park is the same as it has been for centuries; flat common area surrounded by hilly wooded slopes. The park itself was probably entirely wooded at one point. Recounts W. H. Moss, when he was a young boy: "It must have been covered with trees at one time, as I remember that one of our chief pastimes was building camp fires about the stumps of trees."

Throughout the park's timeline, many events have come and gone in the park. The dirt-packed oval is now paved with asphalt. From races to circuses to countless picnics, concerts, and civic celebrations, the Dundas Driving Park has been—and still is—a focal point of fun.

Earlier, you were asked to step back in time. For every place in Dundas, there are stories, people, and events to be remembered. The Dundas Driving Park alone has countless tales to be rediscovered. The new Dundas Historical Society is about reliving those bygone eras and re-experiencing the legacies of our predecessors in this community. we invite you to learn about this historic fabric of Dundas into which we are inextricably woven.

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